Strategic Plan

Election trends:

·         Increased absentee ballot applications.

·         Increased staff time necessary to enter both voter registrations and absentee ballot applications into the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS). .

·         Dwindling public interest in working an election. 

·         On-going shifts and changes to election law and State Elections Board rulesr.

·         A high volume of Election Day registrations.

·         Increased scrutinizing and conflict at polling places on Election Day.

·         Increased public and media scrutinizing of campaign finance reports.

·         Changes in voting machine technology.

·         Increased Hmong and Hispanic voter registration participation.

Key program initiatives:

POLL WORKER

·         Develop and launch a comprehensive poll worker recruitment campaign that pursues multiple strategies for recruiting qualified poll workers.

·         Revise the current training curriculum and coordinate a mandatory 2-hour poll worker training prior to the 2008 elections. Class sizes not to exceed 50.

·         Revise the curriculum and coordinate a 4-hour chief inspector training and pre- and post-training testing process. Class sizes not to exceed 50.

·         Facilitate necessary modifications to the poll worker database, either by converting the database to an alternative software or upgrading the current version

ABSENTEE BALLOTS

·         Develop and implement procedures for the centralized processing of absentee ballots on Election Day.

·         Work with the State Elections Board to resolve on-going problems with the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS), particularly in the area of absentee ballot record management and generating essential voter reports.

·         Review and redesign all absentee ballot processing systems.

REGISTRATION

·         Develop and maintain quality assurance systems for tracking voter registration and absentee ballot data entered into SVRS.

·         Increase the department's involvement in voter registration initiatives, including operating voter registration centers prior to large turn-out elections.

·         Develop a formalized system for reviewing registration applications completed by Special Registration Deputies.

POLLING PLACES

·         Alleviate Election Day overcrowding by reviewing all polling sites to assess voting room size and other considerations.

·         Develop a written Accessibility Plan for each polling site, including signage needs, parking, pathways, entrance, equipment needs, etc.